Wild Roses
by 4thFromTheFurnace
Summary: It wasn't the way he typically preferred a Friday afternoon. -YuseixAki-


**Possibly set between the times of episodes 151 and 152. I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's.**

The rumble of the engine still sent shivers up her spine. If they were riding separately, this wouldn't happen, but he had caught her by surprise when she came into his garage.

_"Yusei!"_

_Glancing up from his work, a smile crossed his face and he put down the wrench, wiping his hands on a nearby rag, "Aki…you're home early."_

_Feeling a surge of heat burst through her system, she glanced away quickly, "Well, I got off class early because of final exams and I figured I'd stop by…"_

_Standing, his gaze held on her, "Final exams, huh? How'd you do?"_

_Aki gave a meek smile accompanied by the fiddling of her fingers, "We don't know for sure for another week or so, but I think I did pretty well."_

_He nodded, "Great."_

_"But there are a lot of really good duelists there so…" her voice lowered to a mumble._

_His eyes questioned her, but she said nothing and shook her head._

_Descending the ramp, she walked over to peer at what he had been working on with his D-Wheel, "So what are you doing with it?"_

_He turned and brought over his laptop that she could see the screen. Pointing from the screen to the machine, he explained, his voice sounding somewhat similar to the voice of an excited child, "Well, I adjusted the booster so the transmission will be rerouted to the coolant system first and smooth out the engine's efficiency without running the risk of it overheating."_

_Aki tapped her chin for a moment, barely able to hold back a smile, slightly proud of herself that she knew what he was talking about, "But wouldn't that slow down the time it takes for the transmission to reach the engine and slow down the initial starting speed?"_

_His eyes brightened. He shook his head, "The starting speed won't be affected that much. I added a secondary boosting system that will bypass the coolant, giving the machine the initial boost it needs at the beginning. During that time, the transmission will run through the coolant system and to the primary booster, slowly shutting down the secondary initial booster and causing the engine to run more smoothly and efficiently without sacrificing time or risking as much malfunction."_

_She slowly nodded in comprehension, in wonder over the machine and the brain of the one who built it. Yusei stared at his vehicle for a few moments before glancing up at her. Finally, he spoke, "Hey."_

_Her eyes found his and he continued, "I have to test this thing out on the roads. Would you like to…"_

_Her amber eyes widened, before she frowned, "Yusei, you know how I feel about…"_

_Stepping closer to her, he smiled and reached out to grasp the handle of her school bag, his tanned and masculine hand brushing against hers. Aki nearly jumped, her hands slowly loosening their grip on the bag as he eased it out of her hands and set it down on the table. Taking off the stoppers and restraints, he mounted his bike, scooting forward and patting the seat behind him. She sighed and grabbed one of his helmets, slipping it over her head. As soon as she sat down behind him, he spoke again, "Hold on tight."_

_Her arms slowly wrapped around his middle as he turned on the transmission and revved the engine. Leaning forward and clutching the fabric of his shirt, Aki placed her feet on the edge of the pedals, directly behind his own. With that, he shifted gears and took off, speeding swiftly onto the roadways._

Sure, the whole thing was a little uncomfortable, there wasn't that much room on his D-Wheel, but she still clung to him for her dear life. Leaning her head on his shoulder, she could feel just the faint pulse of his heartbeat through his back.

One thing she didn't understand was that if he really wanted to test it out to its full capacity, why didn't he just ask her to go get her own D-Wheel? There was just too much that didn't make any sense. Unable to contain it any more, she leaned her head close to his ear, trying to speak above the sound of the engine, "Why didn't you just ask me to ride separately?"

He only glanced at her for a split second, but she could have sworn she saw him wink, "It wouldn't be a surprise that way."

Effectively silenced, she felt her face heat up as her gaze held on the passing pavement. They rode on for another few minutes, and she wondered if she would even be allowed to look around at her surroundings. In trying to explain, he just caused her to be infinitely more confused.

Her head once again found a place on his shoulder, and she could feel him stiffen for a moment before relaxing again. The hum of the engine and the sound of his pulse against her ear lulled her into a daze, and she closed her eyes.

* * *

"Aki, you can open your eyes now." His low voice jolted her awake and she looked up, delirious until her eyes could find their bearings. Then she looked around, and she gasped. She still had no idea how he did it, but he had parked in a little parking lot in the midst of a tremendous field of wildflowers as far as the eye could see. Astounded, it took a few minutes before she was able to form words in her mind, let alone be able to say them.

"Yusei, I—what…I don't understand."

A small grin tugged at the edges of his mouth, his visage similar to a Yusei version of an excited child proud of his work, "Do you like it?"

Again, she was stunned out of speech. She only stared, unable to give him any real reaction at all. This only seemed to encourage him, and he nodded towards the field, lifting one of the arms of his D-Wheel to let her out.

It was a few minutes before she finally complied, slowly releasing her driver and getting off the vehicle. She wandered onto the grass, absorbing the sight of the great array of colors before her, enhanced by the immense warmth of the sunlight upon it. Yusei dismounted the crimson machine and took off his helmet, setting it on the D-Wheel and taking something from a compartment of his machine and sticking it on the inside of his jacket before beginning to walk into the field, watching her descend further into the field.

Aki stopped, stooping to take a closer look at the beauty and delicacy of the little plants. She sighed as her mind drifted. Feeling the wind thread through her hair, she closed her eyes and listened to the sounds around her. Standing to her feet, she maneuvered swiftly across the field, breathing deeply and inhaling all the scents from the flowers around her.

Yusei watched her, a serene expression crossing his face. Inhaling quickly, he let out a long, peaceful exhale. Sure, this wasn't exactly how he would choose to spend his own Friday afternoon, but he honestly couldn't say he would rather be anywhere else.

Aki went to her knees again, her amber eyes slipping closed once more. She barely heard the footsteps behind her as her thoughts consumed her.

Suddenly aware of Yusei's presence, she opened her eyes and turned to him, her expression questioning him. He finally elaborated, "I thought you could use a break."

"You mean this is…you're giving me this because…"

"You passed your final exams. Congratulations."

Her smile slowly spread across her face, "This is wonderful, thank you."

However, one thing irked a bit at her being. Why did he have such faith in her?

Her eyes scanned the all the flowers across the field. They were all so beautiful. Some were more colorful than others, and some were larger or smaller, but even so, the mere sight of them amazed her. How they could all be dressed in such beautiful colors.

As if every one of them was wearing a beautiful dress to a ball, waiting for her knight to scoop her up and run off into the sunset. What if there was only one knight in this analogy? Which one would he choose? Silently, she wondered which one was the most wondrous.

The sun warmed her back and her eyes found the sky, watching the fluffy white masses of water and condensation floating across the bright azure backdrop, unhindered in their dance. Breathing in the deep scent of summer air, she smiled and relished the feeling of the breeze against her face. Aki could hear the sound of birds twittering in the distance, and her eyes were drawn to take in all the beauty from all the flowers surrounding her.

A sudden pang of something seeped through her, and she tried to shake it away as fast as she could.

"Yusei…which do you think is most beautiful?"

The question caught him a little by surprise as he watched her. She gestured to the field and continued, "There are so many that are so gorgeous…"

Yusei felt something like bile turn in his stomach once. Walking to stand merely a few feet away from her kneeling form, his eyes scanned the field quickly and turning to the sky before resting on her once again.

Her stomach lurched when his cobalt eyes found hers and held them in suspension. His expression was intense, as if her question held something of deep importance. Finally, his voice reached her ears once more, his voice low and serious, carrying a tone that could make the wind go silent.

"There could be a billion wildflowers, but…" he pulled something out of his jacket, "there's only one rose."

**I'm really not sure if this has the same mood as it did in my head, and I'm thinking of rewriting the middle, but I suppose I'll wait and see. I feel slightly constrained with what I can do and stay in character. The story and inspiration on this one will be on the profile if you guys would like to know. Lord bless, I'm praying for you, my friends. Farewell!**


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